Since its introduction, the Hall of Fame ceremony honoring Faker with accompanying skins has gone through quite a few “ups and downs.” Right from the announcement of the pricing for the Signature package of the Legendary Ahri skin, Riot faced a barrage of criticism. When the event and this skin line launched, players initiated a movement to ban Ahri to protest against this price.
Recently, the HoL skin line for Faker has become the center of attention in the LPL region due to a controversial advertisement by Riot. Accordingly, Riot has decided to hold a showmatch on June 23 to promote the Hall of Fame event. However, participating alongside Faker in this promotional event are three BLG players: Bin, Elk, and LvMao.
It is important to note that since 2023, BLG and T1 have often been seen as major rivals on the international stage. At MSI 2023, BLG defeated T1 in the lower bracket finals to secure a spot in the final match. Moving to the 2023 World Championship, T1 convincingly beat BLG 2-0 in the Swiss round. Given this history of rivalry, Riot inviting BLG players to promote Faker’s skin is viewed as illogical.
Furthermore, the Legendary Ahri skin evokes many painful memories for LPL audiences from the disastrous 2023 World Championship. In this tournament, not only BLG but all three representatives from LPL were defeated by T1. Therefore, the arrangement of BLG players cooperating with Faker to promote this skin has enraged many LPL viewers.
It is worth noting that in recent years, Bin and Elk from BLG have emerged as notable stars in the LPL. Perhaps Riot aims to leverage the fame of these players to capture the attention of the LPL audience and boost sales from the HoL event. However, it seems Riot has forgotten that this skin could evoke painful memories from the 2023 World Championship for LPL viewers and provoke backlash as seen above.
After going through so much turmoil, the HoL Faker skin line is likely to become one of the most controversial skin lines of the year for Riot. It is unfortunate that an event honoring a legendary player like Faker has to face so many obstacles. Hopefully, in the near future, Riot will consider their decisions more carefully and avoid making any more “buried in the ground” choices like this one.